Translator: HH
The general’s eyes widened .
“What do you mean?”
“…Actually, I have a secret weapon . Like a self-destruct button . If I die, the blessing of a god will descend upon the battlefield . If the blessing is activated, the empire can win . ”
I put on a serious expression . My acting was unexpectedly pretty good . Thinking of the moment Flame Emperor burned me up, my face instantly hardened and my voice became determined .
-Ack! It’s a lie! He doesn’t have a self destruct button!
Huh .
The loser ghost who died right before the 100th floor should be quiet .
“T, That kind of blessing…no . But kill you? I can’t!”
“General Sarbast Aegim . Please think about what’s important . Whether you use your sword or not, I’ll kill myself . Since it’s a sure way to guarantee victory for the empire . ”
I spoke with a serious expression .
“I’m asking this favor of you . ”
“Favor…?”
“You’re the leader of this port . You want victory for the empire more than anyone . Rather than dying by my own hand or by a monster, I want to leave my life in your hands . ”
“…”
“There’s no time . Hurry!”
The general had a pitiful face .
“The survival of our empire is at stake, but to take the life of a warrior from another world…”
-Hey . Hey! You believe this? Shit! You’re gonna believe Kim Zombie, this guy? Seriously?
“Our world is definitely cursed . The attack of the Devil King from legend, and how the magical animals continue to strike . And to take your life, it must all be a curse…”
-Your brain is a curse!
“Ah, please don’t forgive our sins, god…”
The general spoke in a regretful voice like he was the main character of a tragedy . A sharp and elegant blade came out .
“…I’ll send you off without any pain . ”
“Thank you . ”
I really was thankful .
Dying didn’t matter, but I didn’t like pain .
“Please tell me your name . ”
“Kim Gong-ja . ”
“Kim Gong-ja…I thank you on behalf of the empire . You are a true warrior!”
Kashing .
Like what he promised, it was a clean cut . The blade of Aura instantly cut my neck .
[You have died . ]
[NPC Sarbast’s skills are being randomly copied . ]
As I expected, copying an NPC’s skills was possible .
And when everything became dark, I heard Bae Hu-ryeong shout out .
-Stop dying you bastard! Do you like cheating like this!
I answered him in my mind .
Sit Gong-ja says . It’s lit .
The exciting day began again .
They said this .
Above a running person, there was a flying person .
And also this .
Next to a sword-wielding hunter, there’s a dead hunter .
Gong-jnim said that .
“Hey, what’s that!”
“Huh? He seems like a hunter judging by his clothes…?”
The battlefield . Hunters turned back from diligently swinging their swords . It was a dangerous thing to do while battling monsters . But they had a bit slack to do that .
I made that slack for them .
“Warrior!”
The general shouted back at me .
“Are you sure this is the right way!”
His body shook . My body also shook . That’s because we were riding the same horse .
He was holding the saddle while I was behind him .
My butt felt horrible but I felt amazing .
“Crystal . If you head this way and turn to the right, that’s where the demon army’s commander is . There’s a bit of monsters nearby . Oh well . It’s ok . We can get rid of them . ”
“Oh! Okay!”
Because behind us, there were a thousand warriors behind us .
“Army, follow me!”
He lifted his baton .
“The warrior of the goddess will protect us!”
“WOooooOO!”
The soldiers shouted and followed the general . The soldiers, who had always been on defense, took the offense . Goblins and orcs got in the way, but they fell to the side .
“Hehe . ”
It was the effect of the minimap .
I advised the general to attack where the forces of the demons were less .
“Ah . Turn to the right here . ”
“Understood! Warrior of the goddess!”
Of course, I hadn’t gotten the general’s trust with just the minimap . Should I say it’s because of the day’s repeat?
I needed a lot of preparation .
I experienced the general’s trauma when I got my skills…but I’ll talk about that later .
‘Status window . ’
Because it was time to focus on what was on hand right now .
First, skills . The techniques I had were like so .
Name: Kim Gong-ja
Rank: E Class
Skill (5/5)
1 . I Want to be Like You (S+)
2 . Returner’s Clockwork Watch (EX)
3 . Sword Constellation()
4 . Goblin High Society(F)
5 . Discernment of the Battlefield (B)
‘The new skill I got is related to war . ’
Like what it was called, it was a skill that identified the battlefield . If our forces had the upper hand or not . How to attack the enemies . I could instinctively feel it .
It made me into somewhat of an expert .
‘Although that’s not all of the skills . ’
I grinned and lifted my sword .
It wasn’t an ordinary sword . It wasn’t what I used to skill myself either . The shining Sword Body . There was an image of a lion’s open mouth on it . As the silver light spread everywhere, the warriors gaped .
“It’s the light sent from the goddess!”
The Holy Sword from the beginning… . ah, the empire hasn’t been abandoned!”
“Hurrah for Aegim Empire!”
Yes .
This sword was the last puzzle piece for me to lead the army .
It was what I picked with the Blessing of the Merchant God .
[Lefanta Aegim’s Holy Protection Sword]
Rarity: Legend
Summary: ‘One who holds the Holy Sword will hold the empire . ’ The Holy Sword from ancestors . There is a legend that the ancestor who founded the Aegim Empire received it from the goddess . ‘One who holds the Holy Sword will be held by fate . ’
The ancestor chose his successor and left . Did he kill himself? Was he killed by the rebelling forces? When legends and history weren’t different, his whereabouts were unknown, and so was the Holy Sword’s . Only leaving a line in history .
‘The day fate arrives, so will the one with the Holy Sword . ’
The one who had the Holy Protection Sword will be absolutely trusted and supported by the people of the Aegim Empire .
The effects of the legendary item were outstanding .
“Hurrah for the empire! Hurrah for the warrior!”
“Goddess, protect us!”
“Attack! Kill those dirty creatures!”
The soldiers ran forward
“Kya . ”
From what the soldiers saw, I was a legendary warrior . The real person leading them was the NPC general but…it felt like I was leading them .
I felt like I was flying .
‘Good . Ah, good . I feel like I cleared the hidden stage just with this?’
-It’s a fucking useless item!
Bae Hu-ryeong flew up when I was about to fly up .
-’It’s just a shiny sword that’s slightly strong!
‘Tsk tsk . You’re sentimentality must be weak since you’re a ghost . This is a shiny sword that all the NPCs from the 11th floor to the 20th will go ballistic for . Got it? NPCs aren’t just tools to get quests .
It was a theory of coincidence .
‘Their beings to help break through them!’
And the development actually worked .
While the hunter players were sweating like dogs, I was breezing through the battlefield with the general .
“W, What’s that…?”
Everytime I passed a hunter, they were surprised . There were even some who were stunned .
“Why’s he going around with the general?”
“Isn’t he an NPC?”
“Wow . Wait . It looks like he’s giving orders to the general…”
“No, look at his clothes . He’s a hunter!”
“Who is that person…?”
Surprised voices . Suspicious voices . Jealous voices .
They were reactions for when people looked up at someone who was above them .
‘Ah . ’
I was drunk .
‘This is it . This . Dang, it’s to die for . ’
-…this psycho isn’t training his Aura like I taught him to but using it to eavesdrop on gossip . Zombie . You’re amazing . You’re really like a Zombie…
‘What can I do!’
The attack was working . The monsters continued to fall .
They were even trying to block us frantically but…
“Hup!”
Skilled hunters like Sword Saint massacred the orcs at the front, and-
“Hahaht! Ah, what a touching day! A new battle! A new era! How- . ”
“Shut up! If you have time to blabber on, get another goblin!”
Members from large guilds like Heretic Questioner and Venomous Snake were at the sides .
The wings of the enemies were falling off . There weren’t any extra forces to stop up . Clip! Clop! The heads of goblins were crushed under the horses of the soldiers, and spears pierced the orcs .
“We can win!”
“Follow the general! Follow the warrior!”
Attack . And attack some more!
From some point, there was a hole in the enemy forces . We were almost to the commander . The minimap marked him as a red spot .
-Go, Gorrr .
Past the general’s shoulder, I could see a high king goblin .
‘Huh . ’
I scoffed .
‘I was wondering what the leader of the enemy forces was but it was a high king goblin?’
Of course, it was probably stronger than the high king goblin from the 5th floor that I cleared . Since he was leading forces of thousands . But it was only a goblin . If his subordinates were swept aside, I wouldn’t be hurt .
More than anything .
[Your skill is activating . ]
I had a skill specialized for goblins .
-Gorrk! Gor!
As the goblin lifted his cane, the monsters around him came at us . If it was human language, he was probably saying something like ‘Stop those humans, fools!’
And to that high king goblin, I shouted .
“Gorrrk!”
In fluent goblin language!
-Go, Gork?
“Gorrrr!”
-Gorrk?
He was clearly flustered . As the leader was flustered, so were his underlings . And during that time, our forces were fighting . The last hope for the enemies flew away .
-Gorrrk?!
The high king goblin fumbled . Then, he realized that he was tricked .
But it was too late .
I put Aura into the Holy Protection Sword and powerfully swung it .
“It was a nice gorrk!”
I cut the goblin like tofu . His head flew off without even a scream .
“Whoa!”
The general shouted, slowing down the horse .
“The warrior has gotten rid of the demon creature!”
He wasn’t saying it to me . It was to let his soldiers know . The general put Aura in his voice so his voice could be heard in the noisy battlefield .
The people around him understood what he was saying .
“The demon creature has been cleared!”
“The warrior of the goddess had gotten rid of the enemy leader!”
From the general to his deputies . From the deputies to the commanders . From the commanders to the soldiers . Voice rang out again and again like an echo .
“Whoohooo!”
Flags were waved in the air . Cheers . It was the cheers of the soldiers .
“…”
I got off the horse and looked around .
I met the eyes of a flag bearer . He had lost his left arm in the battle . He was waving the flag with his right arm . When our gazes met, he smiled happily . And waved the flag even more .
Sunlight poured onto the flag .
“Hurrah for the Aegim Empire!”
We had won .
“Get rid of the enemies!”
“Attack! Attack! Don’t let even one escape!”
The tables were completely turned .
-Kerk, kerrr…
-Grrr!
The beastly monsters started to run away .
“Huh?”
“Look at them . ”
The gazes of the hunters changed . A fight between armies wasn’t familiar, but chasing after individual monsters was a hunter’s specialty . The hunters smiled, baring their teeth, and ran at the goblins and orcs .
“Kill them all!”
It was time to hunt .
The massacre didn’t last long .
Some time later, a clear voice rang out over the battlefield .
[Stage clear!]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared . ]
It was the voice of victory .
[Letting everyone know again . ]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared . ]
Cheers exploded .
“Woohoo! Is this real?”
“Aren’t we too strong?”
“Hurray for Black Dragon Guild!”
Hunters exploded in cheers this time . Some threw their caps like in the square, and others hugged each other .
The clearing of the 11th floor in less than a day!
It was an amazing attack .
[Calculating subjugators…calculation complete . ]
[It has exceeded the limit . ]
[The top 10 clearers are being announced . ]
The hunters looked up .
Something was being engraved into the sky with light .
[Level of Contribution Rank]
Rank 1 . Kim Gong-ja
Rank 2 . Sword Saint(劍星)
Rank 3 . Heretic Questioner異端審問官)
Rank 4 . Venomous Snake(毒蛇)
Rank 5 . Crusader(聖騎士)
Rank 6 . Witch(魔女)
Rank 7 . Count(伯爵)
Familiar names popped up .
But as the list became complete, the hunters started murmuring to themselves .
“Huh? Rank 1 doesn’t have a nickname?”
“Sword Saint is Rank 2?”
“Kim Gong-ja…”
It hadn’t been long since my name was released in the media . People looked confused . But someone shouted .
“Ah, the 10th floor clearer!”
“Oh right! They said his name was Gong-ja!”
“Someone who hasn’t received a nickname from the hunter is Rank 1 again?”
“Are they like a secluded master or something?”
Bae Hu-ryeong looked sour .
-Ha . Secluded master, my ass . Just a weak ass who plays tricks…”
‘Do you acknowledge it’s a game of skills now?’
-No! Never!
He whipped around . He seemed to be made because I didn’t train with my sword . This ghost…prioritized basic skills over everything else .
I bitterly smiled .
‘I’ll train my sword technique before the 20th floor is over, so don’t be mad . ’
-Really?
His ears twitched .
‘Yes . Of course . I can’t not do anything when I hang out with the Sword Emperor, right? You’re someone who passed the 99th floor . I should beg to be taught . ’
-Right!
He spun around the air like he was never in a bad mood .
-Kya . Zombie finally sees my worth . Even though the tower is a bit different, I really climbed the tower in my world like there was not yesterday . The 11th floor was a piece of cake…!
Ah . It’s easy .
So easy to ease this ghost .
How could it be this easy?
“Warrior of the goddess . ”
While Bae Hu-reyong was flying above, the general approached me . His body was dirty with the blood of the monster . Only his face was clean, like he wiped it just now .
“We were able to be victorious thanks to you . Really, thank you . ”
“It’s nothing . We all won together . ”
“Ahaha . ”
He scratched his palm like he was embarrassed .
“I worried for nothing . ”
“Sorry?”
“A long time ago, we received a prophecy . That when the Devil King came, warriors from another world would come, so we didn’t have to worry…but I didn’t believe it . Why would warriors fight for their lives in a world that wasn’t even theirs?
He smiled .
“But it was just useless concern . Thank you again . ”
He held out his hand .
Even though it was a different world, it meant the same thing . Was it because people had hands in both worlds?
“I look forward to your accomplishments in the future . ”
“I’ll work hard . ”
We shook hands .
[Calculating rewards…calculation complete . ]
[Rewards are being given to the highest ranks . ]
Then, a light surrounded me from the sky, along with a voice .
It wasn’t just me . Light came from the sky onto the battlefield here and there . One, two, three, four . A total of 10 rays of light poured from the sky .
[The highest ranking challengers enter the 12th floor first . ]
[Until the highest ranking challengers receive their rewards, the remaining challengers cannot enter the 12th floor . ]
[Letting everyone know again . The highest…]
The people who contributed the most would get the rewards first . I felt sorry for the 11th or 12th hunters, but this was a reasonable system .
Before the light completely covered me, the general spoke .
“Please, take care of our empire . ”
And we were summoned to the 12th floor .